In March 1808 war is spreading through Europe as Napoleon holds Portugal and threatens his old ally, Spain. Vice Admiral Bolitho is ordered once more to the Cape of Good Hope, to establish a permanent naval force there.
It is February 1818, and Adam Bolitho longs for marriage and a safe personal harbour. But with so much of Britain's fleet redundant, he knows he is fortunate to be offered H.M.S. Onward, a new 38-gun frigate whose first mission is not war but diplomacy, as consort to the French frigate Nautilus. Under the burning sun of North Africa, Bolitho is keenly aware of the envy and ambition among his officers, the troubled, restless spirits of his midshipmen, and the old enemy's proximity.
The 24th "Bolitho" novel introduces Adam, nephew of Richard Bolitho, and captain of the newly-commissioned frigate "Unrivalled". The novel follows Adam and his crew as they take on pirates and slavers in the aftermath of victory at Waterloo.
A Richard Bolitho story, and a sequel to "Honour This Day". Four months after the historic victory at Trafalgar, Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho drops anchor off the shores of southern Africa. He is brooding over the loss of his old flagship "Hyperion", but a new challenge awaits.
